Interactivity has been boosted and facilitated by social media, which connects millions throughout the globe and enables the dispersement of information. With a mere click of a button an individual can be entertained for hours. This has also dynamically changed popular culture. Prior to the internet, pop culture solely depended on radio stations and television. Now, with google and streaming services like Youtube, Netflix, and Apple Music, according to Phil Miller (TED, 2015), one can watch and listen to whatever they want whenever and wherever they want. It has become a choice rather than a set exposure. However, despite Miller's claim, this does not necessarily limit group experiences. The basic purpose of social media is to share and react together as a community. If anything, it enables pop culture, acting as a fundamental catalyst in the 21st century.
Netflix, for example, promotes pop culture with their "Trending Now" and "Top 10 in the U.S. Today" lists, which sways users into becoming a group that enjoys these movies and shows collectively. This method of popular entertainment with varying cinema is what can be described as fleeting pop culture. Generally so fleeting, in fact, that pop culture has become widely dismissed as trends are replaced by new ones and quickly forgotten. Philippe questions, "Why must we be so serious about what divides us and trivialize what brings us together" (TED, 2013). The new generations are accustomed to processing things quickly, and as a product of this newfound instinct, society fails to preserve pop culture properly. Optimistically speaking, that's the beauty of contemporary pop culture: Society will always be overwhelmed with novelties.
Let's consider Tik Tok, a social networking service that arose just last year and already occupies such an enormous part of our time. A wide variety of videos are displayed, like comedy, dance, and news, continuously gaining and losing popularity exponentially. With it, people and music have become "tik-tok famous", going viral with millions of likes and shares. In this way, Tik Tok is a great example of popular culture. Charli D'Amelio, a teenager that became Tik Tok famous overnight with her dancing videos, has become a social media influencer, and teens who follow her mimic the dances she has created. The power Charli has over viewers not only gains her an estimated $25,000 per Tik Tok video, but also partnerships with franchises like Dunkin Donuts, which have named an iced cold brew coffee with whole milk and caramel "The Charli", and Hollister. Oh to be Charli.
With an ever-growing and ever-developing media, its safe to say that Pop Culture will remain a constant in our lives, uniquely inspiring and uniting us everyday.
Until the next,
Adriana
References:
TED. (2015, February 5). Pop culture is dead!: Phil Miller TEDxWoking [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkDYlQhx0wY
TED. (2013, July 15). Why Pop Culture?: Alexandre O. Philippe at TEDxMileHigh [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_3UYncNwz4
No comments:
Post a Comment